Literature Review

This section contains literature and studies of The Relationship of Mindfulness

Meditation and the Personal Life Stressors of Senior High Students in Colegio De San Juan de

Letran. The scope of this review is limited. This study limits the effectiveness of Mindfulness

Meditation to reduce the stress in the personal life of a Senior High Student. The literature

review showed starts from presenting what are personal life stressors and how it can affect to the

student. Next one is showing the description and the benefits of Mindfulness Meditation. With

that provided, the researchers reviewed the topic and its essential background knowledge to

pursue this study.

Stress is a concept that cannot be explained using a fixed definition thus it is important

to be aware that different descriptions happen in both recent and seminal literature. Stress can be

defined as a response to tension, and particularly an inappropriately high level of pressure.

According to Cohen (2019) Stress is the body’s reaction to a challenge. She stated that stress is

often perceived as bad but it can actually be good in some respects. Delahaij, Dam, Gaillard and

Soeters (2011) analyze stress using a biopsychosocial approach, implying that stressful reactions

disturb the emotional, physiological and cognitive state of an individual. A study conducted by

Anxiety and Depression Association of America in 2016 to college students in America states

that 80% of college students say they sometimes or often feel stressed.

Stress is explained by (Pargman 2006, 5) as “An uncertain reaction to external and

internal factors” that means a negative or positive response to environmental stimuli. In this

regard, it is how the entirety of your body describes to changes and unfamiliar situations that

present it in the course of time.

 Personal Life Stressor

The effect of daily stressors can be particularly harmful to the psychological and

physiological wellbeing of young people (Yahav & Cohen, 2008). Personal stressors are events

or circumstances that appear in a person's life that may negatively impact on the individual's or

their family's health or wellbeing. A stressor may happen directly, such as personally

experiencing a serious illness, or indirectly, such as having a family member with a serious

illness. In some occurrence, personal stressors may have an ongoing impact or limit the capacity

of a person, or family, to live a satisfying and productive life (Australian Bureau of Statistics

2015). Also it is stated that situations like death, serious illness, and mental health problems can

be a personal stressors.

Many students are worried about having a decent grade or just taking time to study if

there are more than one exam to be done. Test stress does not only impact students struggling,

either high-achiever generally experiences a lot of pressure on testing doing well (Oxford

Learning 2018). The common stresses of students are examinations, deadlines, parents or

problems at home, and difficulties with personal relationships (Oxford Brookes University

2006). The effects of that can affect physically, mentally, and emotionally. How it can affect

physically? The heart pumps quicker, causing blood pressure to increase and heart pound. Some

individuals have palpitations. Muscle tensions are increasing, resulting in headaches, dizziness,

jaw problems and even insomnia (Oxford Brookes University 2006). How it can affect

mentally? Thoughts can get confused and jumbled. Thinking becomes concerned. You may be

worried about issues. Making choices or finding alternatives to issues becomes much more

difficult (Oxford Brookes University 2006).

 According to the study of Irfan Mushtaq, Shabana Nawaz Khan (2012) they used a

statistical approach to find the factors that affect the student's academic performance. By using

the suitable statistical package, the variables affecting student achievement are communication,

learning facilities, proper guidance and family stress.

A study by R.Beiter, R.Nash M.McCrady, D.Rhoades M.Linscomb, M.Clarahan,

S.Sammut (2014), affirm that the top three concerns of college students were academic

performance, pressure to succeed, and post-graduation plans. With the propensity for mental

health problems to hamper university students ' achievement, it is essential that schools

continuously assess their students ' mental health and tailor therapy programs to specifically

address their requirements.

Mindfulness Meditation

Mindfulness can be defined as the ability to be fully present in the moment.

According to the Psychology Today (2019) Mindfulness is an engaged, open-minded state of the

present. This state includes examine one's ideas and emotions without assessing them as either

good or bad. According to the report Ronald D. Siegel and Steven M. Allison (2019),

Mindfulness is the practice of concentrating your attention purposefully on the current moment

and accepting it without judgment. Mindfulness origins in Buddhism, but most religions include

some kind of prayer or meditation method that helps move your thoughts away from your usual

worries towards moment appreciation and a broader outlook on life. An individual’s ability to

handle stress is determined by the relationship between personal attributes such as cognitive,

emotional and behavioural development (Delahaij et al.,2011; Skinner & Zimmer-Gembeck,

2006).
 Benefits

According to Kane, Suzzane (2018), Mindfulness meditation helps you to get a better,

lower your stress levels, banish temporary negative feelings, and reduce anxiety. Mindfulness

can also help lessen stress by improving emotion control, leading to a better mood and better

ability to handle stress (Remmers, Topolinski, & Koole, 2016). Another study by Donald and

Atkins (2016) found evidence that mindfulness produced less avoidance and more approach

confront as a response to stress than relaxation or self-affirmation controls. Mindfulness is even

effective for people dealing with the most critical of depressive symptoms: suicidal thinking, or

thoughts of suicide. In chronically depressed participants with suicidal thoughts, mindfulness

was more effective than treatment as usual in diminishing these thoughts (Forkmann,

Brakemeier, Teismann, Schramm, & Michalak, 2016). A study on mindfulness in college

students found that medical and psychology students who practiced mindfulness reported

increase in a wide range of areas, including decreased reactivity, increased curiosity and affect

tolerance, improved patience, and self-acceptance, and enhanced relational qualities (Solhaug,

Eriksen, de Vibe, Haavind, Friborg, Sørlie, & Rosenvinge, 2016). Elementary students who

exercise mindfulness express greater communal behaviors, emotion regulation, and academic

performance (Harpin, Rossi, Kim, & Swanson, 2016).